


Her waist was round

by like_a_bird_that_flew



Series: Child Ballads (of the Songbird and Poet) [4]
Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Not Canon Compliant, Persephone is teasing and orphydice are flustered, Persephone returns and finds out the news, Pregnancy, protective orpheus, soft, they made it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 03:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20482367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/like_a_bird_that_flew/pseuds/like_a_bird_that_flew
Summary: Lady Persephone arrives back up on top at the beginning of spring and is greeted with some unexpected news from a certain songbird and poet.Or: Persephone has wine aunt energy and loves to tease our favourite young lovers.(Best if you read it with the rest of the series)





	Her waist was round

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a series so I recommend reading the other parts first!

The first day of Spring was marked by a warm, gentle breeze and greenery beginning to grow from the earth. The Winter had been kind this year; still cold with spells of rain or snow here and there but mostly manageable. And now, the first signs of new life were beginning to appear in the world up above. All that was missing was the Goddess of Spring herself.

Waiting for her on the train platform stood another God, with him was a young couple eagerly waiting to share the news of their own new life with the woman in question. Given how much she had teased the pair about when they would be having their own bundle of joy for her to babysit, they were sure she would be thrilled to hear the news of Eurydice’s pregnancy. Hermes had even offered to deliver a message letting her know himself upon seeing the young lovers excitement to tell her. But they declined; wanting to witness her reaction themselves.

So the trio stood waiting on the train platform. Eurydice was now 7 months pregnant and very visibly showing; her small frame made her baby bump impossible to hide (not that she minded). Due to her size (caused in part by years of malnutrition in the past), the pregnancy was putting somewhat of a strain on her body. This meant that Orpheus was fretting more than ever before. He insisted on her taking maternity leave and covered most of her shifts himself. This didn’t stop her from hanging out at the bar anyway to chat with her husband and Hermes; Orpheus didn’t object to this because it meant that he could still keep an eye on her while he was working. However, he always ushered her into the backroom if it looked like a fight was about to break out, not wanting to risk her or their child’s safety.

Eurydice’s anxieties about her appearance had subsided by this point. Around the start of her second trimester, she had worried that Orpheus would see her differently now that she didn’t look like the slim girl he had met. But she quickly realised that Orpheus still found her to be divinely attractive despite her changing figure (and often told her so). Of course, doubts still crept in, but it seemed that every time it did, her husband would be there, his eyes lighting up as he saw her, to wrap his arms around her growing belly and tell her that she was the most beautiful thing in the world. 

Orpheus’ own doubts about his ability to be a good father and husband had lessened by this point as well. Mostly after a series of long conversations with his wife where she reassured him that he was enough and that all she needed was for him to be there and provide for the three of them. So in place of worry, only excitement grew. His heart expanding in size every time Eurydice guided his hand onto her belly to feel the baby kicking. During those small domestic moments, he always asked himself how he got so lucky; to have a beautiful wife and a baby on the way.

Eventually, the train finally pulled into the station. The car door opened to reveal the woman they had been waiting for: Lady Persephone, in her green dress with flowers in her hair. As she hopped off the train, her eyes fixed on the group of three who had come to meet her. More specifically, the two young lovebirds. 

The pair were standing side by side with little to no space between them and an arm around the other’s waist as usual. Only this time they each had a hand resting on Eurydice’s swollen stomach. Well, this was certainly a development. She was pregnant, and quite far along at that. It looked as though the babe would be here before the end of Spring at the latest.

Her initial reaction was one of shock, but it would be wrong to say that she hadn’t seen this coming at all. It didn’t take a genius to tell that the young couple were deeply in love; you could see it in how Orpheus’ eyes lit up when Eurydice entered the room, or how Eurydice would gaze at him in wonder as he sang for patrons in the bar (well, really just for her. It only ever for her.) with all that taken into consideration, it really wasn’t shocking at all that the pair would want to settle down and start a family, especially given that neither of them had really had a real family before.

“Persephone!” the sound of the pair yelling her name broke her out of her trance. 

“Poet, Songbird!” she called as she hurried towards them. She handed her bag off to Hermes before pulling the couple into a hug, kissing their cheeks.

“Well, haven’t you two been busy. Guess I know what you’ve been up to while I’ve been gone” she joked good-naturedly, giving a pointed look to Eurydice’s protruding stomach. The pair blushed profusely at that.

“Did Mister Hermes never teach you the facts of life, Orpheus?” she teased, enjoying how red she was able to make the young lovers turn.

“Hey in my defence; we are married now” stammered Orpheus causing Hermes to roll his eyes and the two women to giggle even harder.

“Relax, I’m only teasing,” she replied. 

“I’m happy for the both of you, just slightly offended that I wasn’t informed sooner” she feigned insult but they could tell there was no weight behind it.

“We wanted to tell you straight away, but we only found out two weeks after you left. So we figured we’d surprise you instead” explained Eurydice.

“I didn’t know you guys were trying for a baby,” she smirked.

“Um... we weren’t” It was Eurydice’s turn to stammer now. “It just sort of… happened, I guess” she explained, looking to Orpheus for help.

Persephone just chuckled at that.

Hermes was very much enjoying the show playing out in front of him. He knew Seph wouldn’t let them off without a bit of tormenting.

“How far along are you, do you know?” she inquired

“About 7 months”

“Wow not long to go then. To be honest, I can’t say I’m completely surprised. You two are so damn touchy-feely I was wondering how long it would be before lover boy over here knocked you up!” she joked again, relishing in teasing them.

“Hey we’re not that bad are we?” Orpheus tried to argue, but his hand on his wife’s waist already proved Persephone’s point.

"Anyway, I assume you've been keeping an eye on these kids for me while I've been gone," she said, turning her attention to Hermes.

"Of course. I'm glad that you're back Seph, I thought these two were gonna explode if they had to wait any longer to tell you" chuckled Hermes.

"Awe, I missed you guys too" 

Before the train pulled out from the station, King Hades, who had come to see his wife off, opened the car door to wave goodbye. Just like Persephone before him, he was shocked by the sight he saw in front of him.

The young couple who had defied his laws and walked out of hell together were standing on the platform as they did every year. Only this time, the young girl’s waist was round, and the boy kept a protective arm around her.

His initial thought was “wow they move fast”, but upon further consideration, he could hardly blame them. For most of their lives, the world had been out of balance, why wouldn’t they settle down and make the most of the new world Orpheus’ song had helped create.

He was happy for them, honestly. He had never actually wanted them to fail. They were good people; a bit reckless and naive, but they were young and deserved happiness after everything they had been through.

When Orpheus spotted Hades his grip on Eurydice tightened instinctively as if he was scared that the Lord of the Underworld would take her away again, this time taking their unborn child with him (a scenario he was ashamed to admit he had had nightmares about several times since learning of Eurydice’s condition).

Hades simply nodded at the young couple as if to say congratulations. He caught his wife’s eyes and waved a last goodbye to her before stepping back into the train as it pulled out from the station.

The group smiled. The king had clearly softened a lot since their trip underground. When the train was out of view, Persephone broke the silence

“Well come on then brothers, I’m dying for a drink”. She began to lead them in the direction of the bar.

“And you can tell me more about your new addition, along with everything else I’ve missed”.

Orpheus and Eurydice took each other by the hand as they followed her, both filled with excitement for what the upcoming Spring and Summer had to offer.

Persephone looked back at the young couple for a moment as she walked ahead. She had known Orpheus since he was a small boy and to see him all grown up, about to start a family with the woman he loved, made her heart soar. She knew that the pair had had tough lives up to this point, but she hoped that things we’re looking up for them now that they had each other. They deserved all the happiness in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it, feedback is always greatly appreciated.  
Also, come chat to me about Hadestown on tumblr @ like-a-bird-that-flew or the-kingdom-will-fall-for-a-song
> 
> The title is from the song 'Willie of Winsbury' by Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer.


End file.
